Spurs 102, Denver 94: A veteran victory

The Spurs slopped around for most of Tuesday’s road game in Denver, shooting 37 percent in the first half and falling behind by 13 early in the second against a Denver team that looks like a shell of its former self. Then came the fourth quarter, when the Spurs used their vaunted depth to blow past the Nuggets 30-16. The bench, led by Boris Diaw and Patty Mills, erased the deficit before Tony Parker and Co. came back on to secure their third victory in four games.

As poorly as the Spurs had played to that point, Denver’s six-point lead entering the fourth felt tenuous at best. It was gone less than three minutes in as Mills, Diaw, Manu Ginobili and even Jeff Ayres helped manufacture a 14-4 run to start the period. Mills had five points during the surge, including a pull-up 3-pointer in transition that brought the Spurs to within one. Diaw, continuing his aggressive play, followed with a 3 of his own that put them ahead for good.

Player of the game

Parker brought the best of both worlds on Tuesday, producing at a high rate (24 points, six assists) with outstanding efficiency (9-for-12 shooting). Five turnovers definitely hurt, but he made up for it down the stretch with a pair of jumpers and an assist to Kawhi Leonard for the dunk on a nifty two-on-one break. Parker also kept the Spurs within range, scoring 20 points over the first three quarters, before his teammates finally got into the game.

News, notes and observations

* The Spurs completed their three-game road trip at 2-1, and improved to 3-1 overall.

* Denver had played at a plodding pace of 92 possessions per game entering Tuesday’s contest, a far cry from the blistering tempo employed by George Karl before his unceremonious sacking. The Nuggets pushed it all the way up to 104 against the Spurs, however, and that might have played right into their opponents’ hands.

Despite shooting 50 percent in the first half, the turnover-prone Nuggets finished with an offensive efficiency of just 89.7. The Spurs held them to eight points in one 20-possession stretch comprising the meat of the fourth quarter as they pulled away. Denver also missed its last six 3-point attempts after making 9 of its first 13.

Said Nuggets coach Brian Shaw, “We just kind of lost our minds in the fourth quarter.”

* Tim Duncan struggled with JaVale McGee’s athleticism at times but otherwise enjoyed a fine night, putting up 17 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and four blocks. Every bit as important was his increased discipline in the second half, when he eschewed the open jumpers Denver conceded to play facilitator. His first- and second-half shot charts:

* Diaw finished with nine points, narrowly missing his first stretch of four games in double-figures since 2011. Can he keep up his aggressive play? The Spurs can only hope; including the postseason, they’re 16-3 when he scores 10 or more points since acquiring him at the end of the 2011-12 season.